Making Maths Visual in Rūma Weka! 🔢

Our tamariki have been exploring the world of numbers between 1 and 20! Using our Numicon tiles, rods, and tens frames, they’ve been ‘building’ numbers to see how they are made.

Matching number cards to these tools helps our learners move from simply recognizing a digit to understanding its actual value. Whether it’s seeing how two ‘5’ Numicon tiles fit together to make 10, or filling a tens frame to see ‘one ten and three more’ for 13, our tamariki are becoming confident mathematicians through hands-on play!

Focus on Discovery and Purpose

“Play with purpose!” Each day our tamariki engaged in play-based provocations designed to spark curiosity and build foundational skills. Guided by Kōwhiti Whakapae, we aren’t just playing—we are noticing, naming, and extending the incredible learning that happens when children explore their world. “

 

✨ Science Fun: Our Oobleck Adventure! 🧪

This week Rūma Weka got their hands delightfully messy exploring the amazing properties of a substance called Oobleck!

Oobleck is made from just cornflour and water, but it gave us a huge science surprise! The students noticed that this gooey material is a real shape-shifter.

Solid vs. Liquid: The Great Mystery

When the tamariki applied quick, strong pressure—like punching it or rolling it fast—the Oobleck would turn hard! It felt like a solid ball or clay, and they could even walk across a tray of it very quickly!

But the moment they relaxed, or tried to move their fingers slowly through it, the Oobleck instantly turned back into a runny liquid and dripped away!

The Science Behind the Magic

Oobleck is a fantastic example of what scientists call a Non-Newtonian Fluid. Most liquids, like water, are Newtonian—they always flow the same way. But a Non-Newtonian Fluid is special because its state (solid or liquid) changes depending on the force or pressure we put on it.

  • Fast Force (Pressure): Squeezes the cornflour particles together, trapping the water and making it act like a solid.

  • Slow Force (Relaxing): Allows the particles to slide past each other, making it act like a liquid.

This hands-on experiment was a wonderful way to explore the Science curriculum, where we focus on “Exploring the properties of materials and how they can be changed.” We learned that not all materials follow the rules we expect, and sometimes, the best way to understand them is to get messy and experiment!

🎭 Taki Rua Productions: A Whakaari of Wonder!

Last week, our students were treated to a magnificent theatre experience as we welcomed the renowned Taki Rua Productions for a special performance! We were delighted to be joined by our friends from St Mary’s School for this whole-school event.

Taki Rua brought the beloved story, Te Kuia me Te Pūngāwerewere – The Kuia and the Spider by Patricia Grace and Robyn Kahukiwa, to life on our stage.

Beyond the Kōrero

This was more than just a story reading! The performance was a vibrant whakaari (dramatic presentation) directed to tell the story through powerful movement, dynamic dance, and beautiful waiata (song). The performers’ energy filled the hall with dramatic flair, making the ancient art of storytelling truly modern and engaging.

Our tamariki were completely captivated and entertained by the action, the music, and the visual storytelling. It was incredible to see them so fully engaged with the narrative, even when it was performed predominantly in Te Reo Māori. This showed the power of theatre to transcend language through expression and emotion.

A massive thank you to Taki Rua Productions for sharing this stunning piece of Māori theatre with us, and to St Mary’s School for joining us for such a memorable cultural experience!

Our Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) Visit! 👮‍♀️

This week, we were thrilled to welcome our local New Zealand Police School Community Officer to the class! They partnered with our teachers to deliver the Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme.

KOS is a positive, comprehensive personal safety programme designed by the NZ Police to give tamariki the skills they need to stay safe and seek help. During their visit, the officer helped us learn about the difference between safe and unsafe touches, reinforcing our right to say “no” if we feel uncomfortable.

We also learned important strategies for keeping safe if a stranger tries to approach us using a “trick” to get us to go with them.

Thank you to the NZ Police for empowering our tamariki with these crucial life skills! We encourage all whānau to continue the conversation about personal safety at home.

Our Tamariki Take the Stage! A Royal Ballet Workshop

Last week, our tamariki were thrilled to transform into dancers as they participated in a fantastic Ballet Workshop led by the Dance Educator from the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company, Neve. The buzz of excitement was palpable, and it was a wonderful way to introduce our students to dance in a fun, creative, and accessible way—proving you certainly don’t have to be a dancer to get involved!

The workshop was a perfect blend of learning and imaginative play. Neve started by leading an energetic warmup to get our bodies moving and ready for action. The students then learned some of the classic ballet positions before moving across the floor with enthusiasm. There was lots of laughing and leaping as they practiced leaping, pretending to jump over imaginary rivers!

Learning from the Best

A real highlight was the chance to learn choreography inspired by the RNZB repertoire. These workshops are flexible and adapted for all ages and abilities, making it an awesome way for our tamariki to experience the magic of dance that is performed on stage.

Neve truly brought the storytelling to life by sharing the tale of Dazzlehands, the award-winning story of the persuasive pig who won’t take no for an answer. The students were completely captivated, making great gestures and hilarious noises to go with the different parts of the story.

Our students loved the energy and creativity of the session. A massive thank you to our Dance Educator for inspiring our young learners and showing them the joy of movement!

Life Education with Harold

Rūma Weka went to see Harold at Life Education.  We were learning to:

  • Explore what our 9 basic needs are and how caring for them every day can help us be happier and healthier, more able to manage our big emotions.
  • Explore how we don’t all respond to the same situations the same way and that’s ok – nobody’s wrong, we’re just different from each other.
  • Explore how our different feelings can influence how we act.
  • Identify why using our words (and kindly) to explain our needs helps solve problems.
  • Learn to be a STAR – Stop, Think, And Respond when there are issues.
  • Explore different ways big emotions can feel in our bodies – emotion = energy in motion… our body is trying to tell us something.
  • Share and learn ways to either calm ourselves down or safely release energy we feel with big emotions so that everyone feels safe.

Duffy Assembly – Tuesday 26th August

We had an amazing presenter – Justus Leaoseve.  He is a creative director and founder of Seve Visuals, a media company focused on storytelling through video. He has experience creating content pieces with groups such as the All blacks, Warriors and the blues as well as individuals including Uce gang, Jaden Laing, Jai Opetaia, Havea 676 and Joseph Parker. He shared insights about creativity, business, and the benefits that reading had on his journey as he was a Duffy Kid too at school.  We then gave books out to those tamariki “Caught being Good”.

Book Week Celebrations 🎉

We ended Book Week with a wonderful celebration! All our tamariki and teachers came dressed as characters from their favourite books. They were so excited to share who they were and how they created their amazing outfits. The highlight was our whole-school parade, where tamariki proudly showed their costumes to other classes. Whānau joined in the fun too, adding even more smiles and excitement to the day.

We also had a special visit from Pauline at Westland Library, who shared a story about having a fish as a pet. Tamariki then had the chance to create beautiful carp fish windsocks, called koinobori. Their mahi will soon be displayed at our local library—please visit and see their fantastic creations!

Book Week Whānau Afternoon

On Thursday afternoon, our classroom was buzzing with excitement as we welcomed whānau into our learning space. Tamariki were so proud to share their books, writing, and mahi with their parents and caregivers. It was wonderful to see the confidence in their faces as they read aloud, explained their work, and celebrated their progress.

After sharing, we all enjoyed some creative activities together. Whānau and tamariki coloured, decorated, and made animal masks, using them to slip into character. There were plenty of laughs, smiles, and busy hands as everyone joined in.

These afternoons are a special way to connect our learning at school with our whānau at home. Ngā mihi nui to everyone who came along and made the afternoon such a joyful and memorable time.